Recruitment Agency Etiquette

By: Natalie Fraser

Many companies these days make use of recruitment agencies when hiring new staff members.
In the same way that you would make an effort to impress when meeting a potential employer,
you should make the same effort when attending an interview with a recruitment consultant.
The consultant is expected to interview a range of candidates on the client’s behalf and will be
responsible for short-listing candidates to be submitted to the client for consideration. Whilst skill
set and experience are most important, candidates should remember that soft skills are equally
important. If you don’t look or act the part then you may be over looked at the short-listing
process.

Recruitment agencies will have their own specific requirements when it comes to what they
expect of the candidates who are interviewed by them. However, it is important to note that you
have specific rights, as a candidate, and that you should choose to deal with APSO registered
agencies that practice recruitment in a legal and ethical manner.

What Recruiters expect of their candidates:

• Punctuality – it is never acceptable to be more than 10 minutes late for an appointment
  and it is especially rude to not turn up at all! If you’re running late, or need to reschedule
  your appointment, simply call the agency and inform them. Recruiters automatically
  become very nervous about candidates who are tardy because they become afraid that
  you’ll be late for their client’s appointment too.
• Presentation – you should attend an interview with a recruiter dressed as neatly as you
  would when interviewed by a potential employer. Whilst it is not always necessary to
  wear a suit, you should ALWAYS be neatly dressed, washed and wear clothing that is
  appropriate for your particular industry. Untidy hair, dirty fingernails, bad breath and body
  odour are always noticed and could be detrimental to career opportunities.
• Preparation – despite already submitting your CV to the agency you should always
  attend an interview with neat copies of your CV, your ID and any reference letters and
  certificates. In addition, the recruitment consultant will ask you for the names and contact
  numbers for at least 2 references – ensure that you have this information available.
• Honesty – it is NEVER acceptable to embellish your CV or to lead the recruitment
  consultant to believe that you have skills that you don’t. In some cases the agency will
  require you to undertake a variety of tests including typing, computer literacy and
  bookkeeping ability. It never pays to lie and you will always be caught out!
• Communication – the recruitment consultant cannot guarantee to find you a job but they
  will certainly market you effectively to their clients when they have a vacancy that meets
  your skill set. In order to assist the consultant in her job you should be sure to keep her
  informed of any other positions under consideration, tell her if you’ve already been
  submitted for this particular position already so that she can respect your right to use
  other agencies too, changes in your requirements or details. Without an open channel of
  communication the recruitment consultant cannot possibly be expected to assist you
  finding alternative employment.

Recruitment Consultants are primarily employed by companies to assist in finding staff but they
are responsible to their candidates as well. You should always expect, especially from an APSO
registered agency, respect and confidentiality in terms of your personal details. A recruiter is
required to get your express permission for each vacancy they would like to submit your CV for,
this includes giving you the name of the company, the position, the salary on offer and other
relevant details of the position. You can also expect feedback whether you’re successful or not.

Should you not receive this level of service you should make a point of expressing your concern
with the consultant, agency management or with APSO directly. You can find more details on the
APSO website.